Rail-joint bar with lightened web



Sept; 22, 1925. 1,554,938

8. WOLHAUPTER" RAIL JOINT BAR WITH LIGHTENED WEB Fi d May 1, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 22, 1925.

B. WOLHAUPTER RAIL JOINT BAR WITH LIGHTENED WEB Filed May 1, 1925 4 sheets sheet 2 eagjwmin Vilhavybfez;

Sept. 22, 1925.

B. WOL HAUPTER RAIL JOINT BAR WITH LIGHTENED WEB Filed May 1, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN wf/vrwz Sept. 22, 1925.

B. WOLHAUPTER RAIL JOLNT BAR WITH LIGHTENED WEB Filed May 1, 1925 4 Shets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN WOLI-IAULPTER, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RAIL-JOINT BAR WITH LIGHTENED WEB.

AppIication filed. May 1, 1925. Serial No. 27,249.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN VVOLHAUP- ran, a citizen of the United States, residing at 28 NeptuneAve, New Rochelle, in the county of W estchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Imprrwements in Rail-Joint Bars with Lightened Nebs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail joints, and particularly to a rail joint bar having a lightened web construction which contains a minimum quantity of metal, and yet possesses adequate strength and stiifness for all practical purposes.

Rail joint bars having subnormally lightened webs have recently been introduced, and found to be susceptible of successful manufacture, as well as capable of sustaining and resisting normal loads. In some forms of these bars, as shown for instance in my former Patent No. 1,482,333 granted January 29, 1924, the subnormal thinned portions of the web extend uninterruptedly from the top to the bottom chords of the bar, thus producing alternate web portions of normal and subnormal thicknesses. These bars are generally rolled into shape and subsequently the bolt holes are formed in the webs. Owing to the manufacturing conditions, these bolt openings may not always register with those portions of the Web of normal thickness.

Accordingly, a principal object of the invention resides in providing a lightened web structure for rail joint bars wherein a normal thickness of the web is maintained longitudinally and horizontally thereof in the plane where the bolt holes are to be punched, thereby providing an adequate and substantial thickness of the metal where the bolt holes are located in order that relatively long bolt bearings may be provided for the bolts in the web of the bar, thus obviating or lessening any possible tendency of the bolts to be cut by the light web or the light web to be torn by the bolts. At the same time the improved construction permits of a substantial lightening of the web structure of the bar without impairing its strength and stiffness. r

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of a web for rail joint bars which is formed with upper and lower series of spaced portions of subnormal thickness which, form a resultant remaining portion of normal thickness extending centrally and longitudinally of the Web throughout its length, and having branches which extend upwardly and downwardly to the top and bottom chords of the bar whereby a minimum quantity of metal will be employed with a maximum amount of strength and stiffness. At the same time this structure produces what may be termed a bolt bearing rib extending longitudinally of the lightened web structure and affording adequate bearings for the bolts.

l/Vith the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear. as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

Practical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. j

Fig. 4. is a detailed perspective view of a modification of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view showing a further modified form of web.

Fig. 7 is a sectional perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the in vention wherein the outside as well as the inside of the web of the bar is altered producing normal and subnormal thickness, and to provide an adequate thickness of the web for the bolt hole positions.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinalsectional view of a portion of the bar shown in Fig. 7, on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a sectional perspective View of the invention as applied to the girder type rail joint bar, said view also illustrating lightening the formation of the bar at both the outside and inside of the bar web.

Figs. 10 and 11 are vertical sectional views of the bar shown in Fig. 9 on lines 1010 and 1111 of Fig. 9.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several ligures of the drawings.

The present invention aims to produce a rail joint bar of the character set forth in which the web is subnormally lightened in such a manner as to insure-the bolt holes being formed in the web and in the plane of normal thickness thereof,=in order that relatively long bearings may be provided for the bolts to minimize the tendency of the bolts to be cutby the light webs or the light webs to be torn by the bolts.

To this end, my invention contemplates the provision of a rolled joint bar having a web structure to provide a longitudinally extending portion of normal thickness and in which the bolt holes are formed, and other portions of subnormal thickness which lighten the bar without reducing its necessarystrength and stiffness. Although the invention may be carried into effect in con nection with joint bars of various types, I have illustrated several forms of the invention in which'the joint bar A of substantially I-bar formation is provided with the web portion B which connects the enlarged top compression chord or head C with the enlarged bottom tension chord or foot D. The web portion B, in Figs; 1, 2 and 3, is pro-- vided with a portion 1 of normal thick ness which extends longitudinally of the bar. This portion 1 is disposed between the top and bottom chords C and D and in line with the bolt holes and can be made of various widths but should be made as narrow as possible to save material and sutlicient only to give a proper bearing to the bolts.

The normal thickness of the bar is indicated on the portion 1 in Fig, 1 by the letter X. The inner face of the web. above and below the portion 1 thereof, is formed with a series of upper and lower depressions or sinks Qand 3 respectively of subnormal thickness, as indicated in Fig. 1 by the reference characters Y and Z. The port-ions 2- and 3 are produced during the rolling of the bar, usually in the final pass of the rolling mill, and these portions of reduced thickness result not only in the formation of the portion 1 of normal thickness, but also result in the formation of upper and lower branches 4 and 5 from the portion 1, the branches being of normal thickness.

Thus, a longitudinal series of spaced portions 2 of subnormal thickness are disposed above the bolt-hole portion 1, and a longitudinal series of spaced portions 3 of sub-.

normal thickness are disposed below the portion 1. In other words,above and below the longitudinally extending port-ion l there is a series of alternate portions 2 and a and 3 and 5'of subnormaland normal thickness respectively. The branches 4- and 5 which are of normal thickness extend upwardly to 'ness.

forms resultant lightened portions not only are duplicated in the outside of the web of the top chord C and downwardly to the bottom chord D. This arrangement produces a novel trussing construction at the inner face of the bar, and provides a longitudinally extending portion intermediate the top and bottom chords for 'theforination of the bolt openings 6 which are preferably formed by punching. This construction therefore insures the bolt holes always extending through that portion of the thus lightened web which is of normal thickness and thereby providing adequate bolt bearing area for the bolts.

According to the embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, the web B may be pro vided on its inner face with a centrally disposed and longitudinally extending portion 7 of normal thickness, similar to the portion 1 previously described. Bolt holes are formed in this portion 7 of normal thick- In order to lighten and stiffen the bar,"the inner face of the web above and below the portion 7 is formed with a wavelike surface forming alternate portions 99 of normal thickness and portions lb--10 of subnormal thickness.

It has now been seen that the fundamental feature of the invention is to provide a lightened structure for the web of a rail joint bar wherein a normal thickness is left throughout the bar longitudinally thereof so that the bolt holes may be punched according to any specification as to the spac- .ing thereof and at the same time providing adequate bearings forthe bolts for the purpose hereinbefore explained- This structural feature may be obtained in a bar whose web is deformed at the inside only in order to provide normal and-subnormal thickness, as illustrated by the group of Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, but another phase of the invention is exemplified by the group of Figures ('3 to 11 inclusive wherein the outside as well as the inside ofthc web of the bar is deformed to produce the normal and sub normal thicknesses in the web and at the same time provide the bolt bearing rib for the bolt holes, herein referred to. In Fig ure 6 of the drawings the web B of the bar is shown reduced on both inner and outer faces above and below the longitudinally extending portion 11 of uniform. thickness with corrugated"portions. Each corrugated portion 12 is of subnormal thickness and on each side of the bar but also above and below the longitudinal portion 11 of uniin Figure 1 of the drawings excepting that the deformations at the inside'of the web the bar. In other words, according to the phase of the invention shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings the outside of the web of the bar is deformed to produce the reducements or cavities 2 which are disposed in staggered relation to the reduce ments or cavities 2 at the inside of the web. Also the outside deformations leave a nor mal thickness longitudinally of the bar web as designated by the reference number It. lying directly opposite the COYIQSPOZlQllIlQj element 1 at the inside of the bar, and through this normal thickness 11 of tln bar the bolt bearing holes are punched.

A further exemplification of the inven-- tion is shown in Figures 9, 10and 11 of the drawings wherein the improvements described are shown applied to a girder type of rail joint bar, and in these figures of the drawings similar reference numerals ap ply to similar corresponding parts shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings. However, in the illustration of Figures 9, 10 and 11 the bolt bearing ribs or thicknesses are duplicated one above the other and said ribs at the inside of the bar are of less width than the diameter of the bolt holes and bolts while the bolt bearing ribs at the outside of the bar are of greater width than the diameter of the bolt holes and the bolts. This construction is necessary in order to give sutlicient hearings to permit of the use of bolt heads and washers at the outside of the web of the bar, but as the ribs at the inside of the bar do not form bearings for bolt heads or washers they may be made narrower thus further economizing the saving of metal.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a joint bar having a lightened and stiffened web which may be formed by making subnormal portions above and below a longitudinally extending bolt-receiving portion of normal thickness, thus redi'icing the weight of the bar without materially or proportionately lessening its effective strength, and at the same time insuring the location of the bolt holes in that portion of the bar having a normal thickness, and it will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rail joint bar including a web member having a portion of normal thickness extending longitudinally thereof, and a portion of subnormal thickness disposed above said portion of normal thickness.

2. A rail joint bar including a web member having a portion of normal thickness extending longitudinally thereof, and a portion of subnormal thickness disposed below said portion of normal thickness.

3. A rail joint bar including a web member having a portion of normal thickness extending longitudinally thereof, and por tions of subnormal thickness respectively disposed above and below said portion of normal thickness.

4. A rail joint bar including a web member having a portion of normal thickness entendin longitudinally thereof, and a series of spaced portions of subnormal thickness extending in parallelism with said portions of normal thickness.

A rail joint bar includinga web member havinga portion of normal thickness extending longitudinally throughout the length of the bar, and spaced portions of subnormal thickness disposed above and below said portion of normal thickness.

6. A rail joint including a web member having a portion of normal thickness extending lon itudinally thereof, and a portion of subnormalthickness disposed above said portion. of normal thickness, said web being formed with a plurality of bolt open ings extending through the web portion of normal thickness.

T. In Jail joint bar including a web member having a'portion of normal thickness extending longitudinally thereof, and a portion of subnormal thickness disposed below said portion of normal thickness, said web being formed with a plurality of bolt openings extending through the web portion of normal thickness.

8. A rail joint bar including a web member having a portion of normal. thickness extending longitudinally thereof, and spaced portions of subnormal thickness respectively disposed above and below said portion of normal thickness, said web being formed with a plurality of bolt openings extending Car through the web portion of normal thickness.

9. l1. rail joint bar including a webmenn ber having a portion of normal thickness extending longitudinally thereof, and a series of spaced portionsof subno mal thickness extending in parallelism with said portions of normal thickness. 0

1.0. A rail joint bar including top and bottom compression and tension chords respectively and a web member connecting said chords, said web member being provided with a longitudinally extending portion of normal thickness and with a plurality of spaced portions of subnormal thickness.

11. A. rail joint bar including top and bottom compression and tension chords respectively and a web member connecting said chords, said web member being providedwith a series of spaced portions of subnormal thickness forming a resultant remaining portion of normal thickness extending centrally and longitudinally of the web throughout its length and having branches extending upwardly and downwardly to the top and bottom chords.

12. A rail joint bar '"icluding top and bottom compression and tension chords respectively and a web member .connecting said chords, said web n'ien'iber being provided with upper and lower series of spaced portions oi subnornial thickness forming a resultant remaining port on of normal thickness extending centrally and longitudinally of the web throughout its length and having branches extending upwardly and downwardly to the top and bottom chords, said web be' g provided with a plurality of bolt tar with said longitudinally 101: ct normal thickness.

is. is. lnil joint bar including a web memhaving its outer and inner sides deber having a portion of normal thickness extending longitudinall; thereof, and spaced portions of subnormal thickness respectively disposed above and below said portion of normal thickness.

16. A rail joint including enlarged top and bottom compression and tension chords respectively and a web member connecting said chords, said web member being provided with a longitudinally extending portion of normal thickness and with a plurality of spaced portions of subnormal thickness.

17. A rail joint bar including enlarged top and bottom compression and tension chords respectively and a web member connecting said chords, said web member being provided with upper and lower series of snaced portions of subnormal thickness rorming a resultant remaining portion of normal thickness extending centrally and longitudinally of the web throughout its length and having branches extending upwardly and downwardly to the top and bottom chords.

In testimony whereof I hereuntoailix my sign ature.

BENJAMIN VOLHAUPTER. 

